Daily Devotion for April 10, 2013
Prayers
Scripture
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Prayer for the Morning
Heavenly Father, let me live this day as the gift it is, for You have truly blessed me to live it. And if I may suffer, I will carry with me the certainty that one day I will see You face to face, a day when all things will become clear and my pain will be made whole through the grace of Christ, my God. Blessed be you, oh Lord my God, and blessed be the day you have given me.
Prayer of Repentance (from Psalm 51)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. I am full of shame at my sin, and my heart lies heavy.
Purge me and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. This I ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Benediction
Walk with me, dear Lord, so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, bless me this day, and all whom I may meet.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Proverbs 20:17 (The Message)
Stolen bread tastes sweet,
but soon your mouth is full of gravel.
Psalm 113
Praise Ye the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwells on high,
Who humbles himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill;
That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.
Notes on the Scripture
Whom do we praise? We praise someone who has done something really well, who has done a good job, an exceptional job. But who has done the most exceptional job of anyone we know of? God, Jehovah, Yahweh. He made everything. We praise our husband or wife if they work in the yard or clean the garage, so how can we possibly have words to express how we feel about God, who made the grass and the sky and dogs and cats and people? Who made us.
We need to praise Him, for there is nothing to compare to His creation, nothing even in the same league. And when should we praise Him? How much is enough? There is not enough. We should praise Him from the time we wake up until we go to sleep, for our life is His work. From the rising of the sun to its setting, because light is His creation also. If we eat food, we should praise Him for the existence of our food, because it is His creation.
Presidents and senators and armies are full of pride in their importance and strength, but they are so pitiful compared to the glory of the God who created them that they are not worth noticing; and yet, God notices them, and not just them, but every one of us.
This is the greatest miracle of all. There are six billion people on earth, and a hundred billion planets in our galaxy, and a hundred billion galaxies (we think) in our universe, and yet . . . God will take the time and trouble to notice every one of us. He knows who we are. He will listen to us for as long as we want to pray to Him. He will send His Spirit to live with us. Amazing!
Do we pity the beggar in the street? We should not, because God is with him. We may help him if we can, for to love is God's will for us, but we should not pity him, for God will raise him out of his poverty to the level of a king. He is important in the eye of God and his inheritance will be perfect happiness. Who else could possibly do this? Who should care enough? And if we do not praise such wonderful love, the total love of the highest Being in existence for the lowliest and most miserable, what could possibly be worthy of praise?
We should praise God, with our mouth, with our deeds, and with our thoughts every moment of the day, for that is how wonderful He is.
